Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE

Let’s face it, the National Hockey League is lagging behind and the lockout doesn’t help.

In popularity the National Hockey League is last out of the four major sports in America. The National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and the National Football League. We all know that the mult billion dollar corporation that is the National Football League is by far Americas sport. Thier attendence is by far is the best in all sports. In Major League Soccer,thier average attendance and ratings are going up. While the National Hockey Leagues is going down.

In 2012 the fifty most watch sports events were Football, Basketball and Baseball. No NHL matchup made it into the top 50 despite the league playing alot of games between the regular season as well as the postseason. Golf and Nascar were even on the top 50. How can Golf and Nascar be and not the NHL? The owners and players caused the 2004 lockout. not being able to come to an agreement on a deal, put the league well below where it should be. Fans didn’t have hockey to watch so they stopped focusing on the NHL.

A major reason the NHL is lagging is the lack of superstars. Think about it football, basketball and baseball have a greater amount of superstars than hockey does. With superstars come drama and lets face it the National Hockey League has no drama with superstars.

I love hockey but this is a problem that is only getting worse. The problems the NHL face, lockouts, attendence, lack of fans all have the same common denominator that is commissioner Gary Bettman. How can you let two lockouts happen over an eight year period. Not even ten years! Two lockouts, that should say enough.

Gary Bettman is ruining the NHL. Ever since he took away the deal with ESPN, Hockey has been on the decline. A lot of America watches ESPN. The National Football League and ESPN features many shows dealing with football, as does baseball and basketball.

As I see it, things are not going to change in the near future. The National Football League is getting more popular and consuming more money by the minute. Major League Baseball’s new playoff format gets more teams involved at the end of the season. Making it more exciting for baseball fans. With the last two NBA finals having great rates since the late 90′s these sports are getting stronger. As for the National Hockey League, if the players are not on the ice, popularity will be hard to come by in the near future.

Russell LaBounty-US PRESSWIRE

Buffalo Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff and General Manager Darcy Regier are entering thier fifteenth season.

But the question is, it is the beginning of the end for the general manager and head coach? I think that there is immense pressure for Ruff and Regier to get the Buffalo Sabres back in the playoffs. But just getting in is not enough, as Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula said on day one when he became the owner of the Buffalo Sabres.

“The Buffalo Sabres reason for existence is to win the Stanley Cup”. Lords Stanley Cup huh? Reason for existence? Then I wonder why he has a General manager and a Head coach who has seven playoff appearences in fourteen years. One Stanley cup appearence in fourteen years. I think this has to be the season to have a playoff run, or both of them could be packing thier bags out of hockeyheaven. If this was in Montreal, with the Montreal Canadiens. Ruff and Regier would’ve been gone along time ago.

If Pegula means what he says, then I think he should recheck what he said last season by saying that Lindy Ruffs job is safe. Alot of Buffalo Sabres fans are thinking change, but as long as Darcy is here without Pegula ruling. Then Ruff is here to stay for good.

I like Ruff, but there are some key things that bother me. I don’t like how any player on the Buffalo Sabres can speak up about how things need to change. Or how Ruff had picked  Jason Pominville as captain because he knows Pominville won’t speak up. Think back to the summer of 07, when Daniel Briere left Buffalo to go and play for the Philadelphia Flyers. Danny Briere liked to speak his mind, and I think that bothered Ruff to an extent. So the Buffalo Sabres offered a contract, but just not as much as they could’ve offered. Then look what happens, Daniel Briere becomes a playoff manic, as he was with the Buffalo Sabres.

Besides the Stanley Cup apperance in 1999 and two straight Eastern Conference Finals appearences. Ruff and Regier haven’t accomplished what fans have wanted. Again, if the Buffalo Sabres miss out on the playoffs this year, the there should be no doubt that both of them should be out of here. If not, then you gotta wonder if what Terry Pegula said was true.